1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for processing image data obtained from an image recorded on a film, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus capable of preferably correcting image defects caused by a foreign particle deposited on the film and by a flaw of the film.
2. Related Background Art
Most of the images recorded on photographic films such as negatives and reversals (which are hereinafter referred to as “films”) are conventionally printed onto light-sensitive materials (photographic papers) by a technique generally called “direct exposure” in which an image on a film is projected onto the light-sensitive material for areal exposure (one shot exposure).
In contrast, recently, an image recorded on a film is read photoelectronically to be converted into digital signals, which are subjected to various kinds of image processing to produce recording image data; and a light-sensitive material is exposed with recording light sensitive material is output as a print on which the image is recorded, and further the image data is also output to various recording mediums such as a CD-R, and a hard disk (HD) as an image file.
According to digital processing like this, since an image recorded on a film is read and subjected to image processing as digital image data, color and density can be very preferably corrected. In addition to the above, an image of high quality can be obtained by performing image processing such as gradation adjustment and sharpness processing (sharpness correction) which is basically impossible in a printer employing ordinary direct exposure.
Incidentally, when an image is output from a film acting as an original, an image defect is caused as a serious factor for deteriorated the quality of the image due to a foreign particle or matter such as dust and dirt deposited on the film, a flaw of the film formed by rubbing, and the like.
Conventional printers employing the direct exposure output a print by correcting the image defect of an image in such a manner that an operator manually cleans a film or corrects the image (film) with a color material. Whereas, in the digital processing in which an image of a film is read photoelectrically and processed as digital image data, it is possible to detect and correct an image defect by analyzing the image data obtained by reading the image.
For example, JP 6-28468 A discloses an image processing apparatus for correcting an image defect caused by a foreign particle and a flaw making use of infrared light (IR), which is not absorbed by an image recorded on a film but is shaded, absorbed and scattered by a foreign particle, a flaw, and the like. That is, in this image processing apparatus, when an image recorded on a film is photoelectrically read by a CCD sensor, or the like, the image is read with infrared light, in addition that visible images having three R (red), G (green), and B (blue) primary colors are read, so as to detect the foreign particle and the flaw by the change of intensity of the infrared light.
In image processing apparatuses including the image processing apparatus disclosed in the above publication for correcting an image defect caused by a foreign particle deposited on a film, a flaw thereof, and the like, the image defect is automatically corrected by the interpolation of image data, and the like, after the image defect is detected.
However, there are many case in which an image defect cannot be appropriately corrected depending upon a size of the image defect and a picture of the portion where the image defect is caused, and thus an unnatural image is created.